Man arrested in Duval County on sex exhibition charge after police hunt

A Jacksonville man has been arrested for Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition on a child after a week-long search. According to an article on News4Jax.com, last week, an eight year-old child told police a man came up to him in a car and asked it the child had seen the man’s cat. While showing a picture of the cat to the boy, the man allegedly masturbated his penis after pulling his pants down. The day after, the boy claims to have seen the suspect’s car and had his mother take a picture. Police generated a sketch of the suspect from the child’s memory and posted it on the television and social media. The suspect’s car was also posted. News4Jax reports that the man’s boyfriend saw the pictures and confronted the suspect. The suspect went to the police station and was interviewed. He did not leave. The man was arrested on this Jacksonville sex charge.

The man faces a lewd or lascivious exhibition charge in Jacksonville. In order to prove the charge, the state attorney’s office has to show that the man intentionally masturbated, intentionally exposed his genitals in a lewd or lascivious manner or intentionally committed a sexual act that did not involve physical contact with the alleged victim. Examples of this could be bestiality or simulations of sexual activity. If the suspect is eighteen years-old or older and the alleged victim is under sixteen, the charge is considered a second degree felony punishable by up to fifteen years in prison.

A $100,003 bond was set in Duval County for this case. Accused sex suspects, in Jacksonville and all over Florida, are considered especially dangerous by prosecutors and the judiciary. Even though there is no allegation of touching in this case, the man must post a very high bond to be released to fight his charge. In cases involving any type of sex accusation, there very often is no physical evidence to corroborate the alleged victim’s statement. But it is that statement that leads to an arrest and being held in jail, all while the suspect has the presumption of innocence. The state attorney’s office has to prove the charge beyond all reasonable doubt and until they do, the accused is considered innocent under the law.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Duval County Sex Crime Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.